What About the Type and Location of the Abdominal Pain?

The type and location of pain may help the doctor find the cause. The intensity and duration of pain must also be considered when making a diagnosis. A few general characteristics of abdominal pain are:

What the pain feels like: Abdominal pain can be sharp, dull, stabbing, cramp-like, knifelike, twisting, or piercing. Many other types of pain are also possible.

How long the pain lasts: Abdominal pain can be brief, lasting for a few minutes, or it may persist for several hours and longer. Sometimes abdominal pain comes on strongly for a while and then lessens in intensity for a while.

Events that trigger pain: The pain may be worsened or relieved by certain events, such as worse after meals, better with a bowel movement, better after vomiting, or worse when lying down.